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Updated: Oct 15, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
The role of autonomy-connectedness in stress-modulating effects of social support in women: An experimental study
L E Kunst1, M H J Bekker2, J Maas3
1Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, CoRPS - Center of Research on Psychological and Somatic disorders, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands; Mentaal Beter, Mental Health Center Region Noord-Brabant, Breda, the Netherlands.
Abstract:
Social support is associated with mental well-being and favorable therapy outcomes. As autonomy-connectedness, the capacity for self-governance in interpersonal context, may affect reliance on others, we investigated whether stress-modulating effects of social support are moderated by autonomy-connectedness. Ninety-seven undergraduates completed measures on autonomy-connectedness and trait social anxiety, and attended a laboratory session with a friend (support) or alone (control). All underwent a virtual Trier Social Stress Test and completed anxiety, cortisol and heart rate (variability) measures. Preregistered analyses revealed that social support reduced anxiety reactivity and delayed heart rate variability decreases, but not heart rate. Contrary to hypotheses, autonomy-connectedness did not predict stress-reactivity or interact with condition. Exploratory analyses suggested effects of social support on cortisol reactivity and indicated that reported support quality varied by trait anxiety and self-awareness. Our findings underline the stress-modulating effects of social support and suggest that social support can benefit individuals with varying levels of autonomy-connectedness.
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